Audi R8 GT Named "Sports Car of the Year" +VIDEO

• SEE ALSO: Audi Hands Over First R8 GT to Customer

INGOLSTADT, GERMANY - November 29, 2011: The Audi R8 GT has been named “Sports Car of the Year 2011” in the category “Production Supercars” by German magazine AutoBild SportsCars. This year marked the 10th time that a jury from the trade journal has awarded the coveted prize, which was presented at the Essen Motor Show.

Stephan Reil, Head of Development at quattro GmbH, accepted the award for the Audi R8 GT before some 450 invited guests. 70,976 readers of the magazine took part in this year’s anniversary voting for “Sports Car of the Year 2011.”

Watch the Audi R8 GT 'walk around' video

The Audi subsidiary, quattro GmbH, is responsible for the development and production of the Audi high-performance sports car. Its 5.2-litre V10 engine produces 412 kW, while engineers have reduced the weight of the Audi R8 GT by another 100 kg compared with the R8 5.2 FSI quattro. As a result, the car responds superbly to the driver’s inputs, with excellent dynamics and sensational cornering grip. The car accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 3.6 seconds and reaches a top speed of 320 km/h. Its average ECE fuel consumption is just 13.9 litres per 100 km.

173 cars that had previously proven their worth in more than 300 tests and road reports were nominated in 17 classes, which were further broken down into Production, Tuning and Limited Production. Besides the winner, five other Audi models were placed in the top three of their respective classes: the Q7 V12 TDI in the category “Production SUV,” the RS 3 Sportback in the category “Production Compact Cars,” the RS 5 in “Production Coupés,” the Audi A6 Avant 3.0 TFSI quattro in “Production Station Wagons” and the R8 GT Spyder in the category “Production Convertibles.”

Watch the Audi R8 GT Spyder promo video